Women's Committee

Women's Committee logoOur Mission and Vision

The Women's Committee promotes and educates on all issues affecting women members, encourages women to participate more fully in union activities, and advocates and assists women in SGEU in achieving and maintaining their rights.

Many issues continue to impact and affect women, including wage discrimination, sexual harassment and violence, as well as the childcare crisis.

The Women's Committee shall*:

  • Encourage all women and allies to participate more fully in union activities.
  • Promote and educate on issues affecting women.
  • Provide advocacy and assistance to women, in achieving and maintaining their rights.  Share and celebrate the success of women.
  • Send the chair or designate from the SGEU Women’s Committee to the NUPGE Advisory Committee on Women’s Issues (ACWI) Committee meetings. This member is required to report back, this should be reflected in the meeting minutes.
  • Provide and maintain updated information about the committee on the sgeu.org website

*As outlined in the Article 6.10.15 in the SGEU Constitution

Women's March

The SGEU Women’s Committee is once again supporting the Women’s March in Regina and Saskatoon, and we need your help to make it our biggest showing yet!

In Saskatchewan, women and gender diverse people face high rates of intimate partner violence, a lack of access to affordable childcare, gender pay gaps, and discrimination in healthcare.

These events typically happen early in the calendar year.

Bread & Roses Awards

Each year, the SGEU Women's Committee presents the Bread & Roses Awards to recognize and celebrate the work of women activists in our union.

The phrase 'bread and roses' comes from a speech by suffragist and workers' rights activist Helen Todd in the early 1900s. In her speech, Helen called for "bread for all, and roses too," meaning that workers deserve not only fair wages, but dignified working conditions.

2025 Recipients

Congratulations to the 2025 Bread & Roses Award recipients! Thank you for everything you do to move our union forward!

  • Sheena Yew, Education Sector

  • Natalie Shynkaruk, Education Sector

  • Laura Milligan, Health Sector

  • Deveny Schaerer, Health Sector

  • Carolyn Wilson, Public Service Sector

  • Shawna Doucette, Public Service Sector

  • Patrisha Piche, Public Service Sector

  • Lisa Jardine, Crown Sector

Know a woman who is making a difference in our union? Nominate her for a 2026 Bread and Roses Award! Fill out the nomination form.

Interested in viewing past Bread & Roses Award recipients? Take a look at our list of these incredible women!

Prairie School for Union Women (PSUW)

PSUW is generally an annual four-day summer program hosted by the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) to develop women’s personal and leadership skills, building solidarity among women workers. Each year, the SGEU Women's Committee requests budget to sponsor 4-6 women to attend the event.

 

We are now accepting applications for the 2025 Prairie School for Union Women scholarship! Apply by April 13, 2025 at the link below.

Sisters in Spirit

Annually and typically held in October, the Women's committee recognizes the national vigil to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-spirited individuals (MMIWG2S). This image was taken at the event by a committee member and won a Canadian Association of Labour Media award.

Sisters in Spirit candle light vigil.

If Sisters In Spirit or other MMIWG2S events are taking place in your community, let us know – we’d be pleased to consider offering support.

Silent Witness Project

“Saskatchewan's rates of police-reported intimate partner violence and family violence in 2022 were double the national average.” (Saskatoon Star Phoenix, November 2023)

For the SGEU Silent Witness project the silhouettes are a symbolic representation of women murdered by partners. Red silhouettes are created without faces to draw attention to those women who are no longer with us and stand in silence waiting to be recognized.

Two figurines. In between them, text says, 'Silent Witness'.This project was created to promote action by profiling local resources that support women coping with violence in their lives and encouraging community and government action with the focus to end all forms of violence in society.

Intent is to bring attention to a serious concern by taking it from the shadows and bringing it to the forefront.

The silhouettes may be available for your event in Saskatchewan. Please contact womenscommittee@sgeu.org to discuss.

The Canadian guide for the project is maintained in Nova Scotia and is available here: www.silentwitness.ca/uploads/pdf/canadian-guide-e.pdf

Become involved

The Women’s Committee participates, hosts or sponsors a number of annual activities. As an SGEU member, your participation is encouraged! If you have an event supporting women’s issues in your Saskatchewan community, let us know!

Email us at womenscommittee@sgeu.org to become involved or share info with us. View upcoming events and workshops on the SGEU calendar.

Meet the Committee Chair

A headshot of Tanya Turner

"Our province needs to continue addressing women's issues such as period poverty, interpersonal violence, access to reproductive services and pay equity legislation.

As part of this standing committee, I want to help create change. I want to bring awareness to members. I encourage all women members and allies to get involved."

—Tanya Turner, Women's Committee Chair

 

 

 

 

Women's Committee Members

Our membership is comprised of an elected member from each SGEU sector, as well as an elected member from the Human Rights and Equity (HRE) standing committee.

Committee Members Alternate Members Sector
Kate Tremblay Lisa McLeod Education
Theresa Evans - Vice-chair Aleksandr Britton Health
Sheree Duncan Joanna Woode Community Services
Sarah Ayeri Geraldine Trodd Crown
Melissa Rivers Muna DeCiman Public Service
Shawna Doucette  Deveny Schaerer Human Rights & Equity